The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1887-08-12

Mr.. Perkins went over the whole
account, but failed to find an error of
even one cent. cts all straight
Betsy" he said, as he handed back
the books; "but that don't prove
there is any profit in keepin' hens.
Thirty-nine dollars is a good deal to
pay out in year for eggs and chick
ems, but it is as broad as it is long,
for I allow it used to cost me hard
on to forty dollars year to keep our
hens-not countin' the damage they
did. So if We have paid out about
forty dollars for eggs and chickens
we have saved about forty dollars
worth of feed, and the garden beside
to say nothin' Of all the bother o:
runnin' after them and feedin' them.
Take it all around, | allow that we
are ahead; anyway, don't believe
we have lost anything by not keep
in hens"
"Well, | don'tallow any such thing
said Mrs. Perkins. To be sure i
don't know just how much it used to
cost us to keep our hens, but l do
know that this very mornin' Mis-
Peters told me that it cost her just
S47 80 to keep her hens and raise her
chickens last year; and she showed
me her book where she had every
thing down, even TO the salt and pep
per, and the lime for whitewash.
Here are her figures just as / copied
them from her hook, on purpose to
show YOU" and Mrs. Perkins pro-
duced big sheet of paper which
she handed to hsr husband You see,
she continued, she keeps thirty hens
and two roosters-just the same
number we hsd-and she raised 100
chickens. She keeps her old hens
shut up in yard most all the time,
too, and it stands to reason that it
cost her more to keep her hens that
way than it cost us to keep ours
when they run all over the farm and
picked UP half their living. And OF
course, beln shut up so, her hens
couldn't damage the garden or any
thing else; and If you'll look on the
other side of that paper, you'll see
that her hens laid good many eggs
besides those which 10 bought OF
her.
'The minister's family, and the
doctors folks have all the eggs they
use of Mis- Peters. You see she sold
those two families $32 worth of eggs
last year. Put that with what we've
paid her, and add in the chickens
and eggs they use themselves, and it
shows pretty we'll for the hens, I
think. She made almost $40 clear
gain off her hens last year. She has
brand new carpet, for their spare
room, new curtains for the parlor,
and big easy chair,-all bought
with the money size made on her hens
Now she is haviu' another yard made
aud an addition put on to the poultry
house, SO she can keep so or 10 hens.
She says she means to raise more
chickens another year, and make
enough altogether to buy Grace an
organ. You know Grace has quite a
turn for music, though to tell the
truth don't think she has any more
natural taste for it than our Dolly.
If"
| Mrs. Perkins stopped short, for
Mr. Perkins, having carefully exam
ined both sides of the paper, laid it
down, got up and went off without
saying a word. "Just like man, -
said Mrs. Perkins to herself, as she
looked after her husband. "Well, l
won't say anything more now. III
give him time to think it OYER" and
she picked up the big sheet OF paper
and went into the kitchen.-F Fanny
! Field IN Prairie Farmer.
| To Be Tontinug0)